Novak Djokovic of Serbia in action against David Ferrer of Spain during day six of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia tennis 2014 on May 16, 2014 in Rome, Italy.

Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images

For only the second time this year, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will give tennis fans around the world a great spectacle, as they meet in the finals of the 2014 Italian Open in Rome. According to a May 17 CNN report, this will be the 41st showdown of their careers, and it will be televised on Tennis Channel and streaming live at Tennis Channel Live Stream page following the conclusion of the women’s singles final between Serena Williams and Sara Errani.

In addition, tennis fans around the world can also watch the Internazionali BNL D'Italia men’s championship at 10 a.m. EST (9 a.m. CST/8 a.m. MST/7 a.m. PST) on a desktop and a number of Internet mobile devices courtesy of ESPN’s family of networks. Even though Tennis Channel online will also be streaming the action live, watching “Rafa” vs. “The Joker” on ESPN3 is simply the best (live stream) option.

For Rafael Nadal, the “King of Clay” will be looking to finally live up to that moniker by winning his seventh Italian Open Tennis championship. As reported by the ATP on May 17, the top-ranked Spaniard made quick work of Grigor Dimitrov in the semis, defeating the Bulgarian in straight sets (6-2, 6-2).

The world’s No.1 comes in leading the head-to-head series over the second-seed, 22-18, but his Serb counterpart has cut into that deficit significantly over the past few years. Winner of three straight matches, it would appear that Djokovic has finally figured out how to beat the 13-time Grand Slam champion, which makes today’s match a must-see.

On May 17, the LA Times also previewed this live streaming final, which sets the table for the second Grand Slam of the tennis season next week at Roland Garros. As the report indicates, Djokovic will be looking for his second win over Nadal at the Foro Italico and his third Italian Open title overall.

According to ATP tennis oddsmakers, Rafael Nadal is a slight favorite against Novak Djokovic this afternoon, and the OVER/UNDER is set at a combined total of 23½ games. Finally, alternate betting lines have the Spaniard at -1½ [-114] and the Serb at +1½ [-102].

It’s clear that bettors are expecting this Italian Open tennis championship to be a very competitive match. Don’t miss what is sure to be a great appetizer before the 2014 French Open next week.

Watch Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic collide for the 41st time in their Hall of Famer careers Sunday morning. Simply tune to Tennis Channel (DirecTV channel 217) on your television set at 10 a.m. EST or click on the ESPN3/Tennis Channel Live Stream links provided above to watch it on a desktop and other Internet mobile devices.

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